School inclusion support service 'weak' in all categories

An inspection report has found a council's secondary inclusion support (SIS) service for young people with additional support needs is "weak" in all categories.

HMIE Scotland visited Dumfries and Galloway earlier this year.

It found too many young people had "very limited access to a suitable learning or education programme".

The service has been given a list of areas for improvement and will be subject to a follow-up visit in six months' time to monitor the progress made.

The SIS service is based in Dumfries and caters for young people with social, emotional and behavioural needs.

At the time of the inspection a total of 37 of them were being supported.

Inspectors praised the positive relationships built by staff and said that senior leaders were beginning to understand better the strengths and areas of improvement required.

However, they graded the service as weak across four categories - leadership of change; learning, teaching and assessment; ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion; and raising attainment and achievement.

One area of concern which was highlighted was a lack of planned and co-ordinated support between the mainstream schools sending pupils and the SIS.

A report said that was "limiting almost all young people's capacity to build skills and gain knowledge across the curriculum".

"A majority of young people have experienced reduced access to help from SIS over recent years," it said.

"This is as a result of reduced staffing resource and young people opting out of potential activities offered more often.

"Too often the majority of young people supported by SIS have no or very little other quality education provision available to them.

"These young people face inequality as a result of their additional support needs."

Senior leaders were "unable to provide robust data on young people's progress in literacy and numeracy" while attendance rates were also found to be "too low".

A string of areas of improvement has been identified including agreeing the overall purpose and strategic direction of the service so that it better meets the needs of all young people.

Teaching and assessment also need to be upgraded as well as the recognition and celebration of skills young people are developing.

Inspectors called for senior leaders and mainstream schools - with support from the council - to ensure there was access to a "fully-inclusive educational experience".

They will return to see what progress has been made within the next six months.

Dumfries and Galloway Council has been approached for comment.